Empire of Lust

An Enemies with Benefits Romance

De: Rina Kent

Narrado por: Connor Crais, Mackenzie Cartwright

My boss. My hell.

When I slept with a faceless jock as a teen, I didn’t think I would become pregnant. I also didn’t think I would lose that child.

Several years later, I find out that my daughter is alive, and I’m given a second chance.

One problem, though. The faceless jock isn’t so faceless anymore. He has a name everyone fears: Kingsley Shaw. A ruthless bastard. A heartless devil. And most importantly, my daughter’s father. Oh, and he hates me as much as I hate him.

We’re out to destroy one another with all methods available. Including a dangerous game of lust that might lead to our downfall.

Empire of Lust is a complete stand-alone. No other books should be listened to prior to this.

©2022 Rina Kent (P)2022 Rina Kent

Love Happy Endings!!!

I'm a sucker for Happy Endings and this story was a great one with lots of great hot sex. The storyline was epic with lots of twists and turns. I definitely recommend this book along with the other 3 in the series.

Chemistry is off the charts!

❤️ this book so much! my favorite out of the four books, RK definitely left the best for last! Kingsley is A-hole perfection. Aspen was everything I want from a FMC, sharp, damaged, tough and protective! I couldn't put this book down. the spice is just WOW_PERFECTION!!! the narration by Connor and Mackenzie just adds another level of enjoyment, I can't recommend getting the audio version enough!! seriously one of my favorite books of all time!

Great story!

It’s a wild ride! Loved it a lot! I’ve loved Kingsley and Aspen for a while and it was so great seeing them get their happily ever after! Trigger warnings for alcoholism, abuse, mentions of disordered eating. This was a dark book at times and it had high and low moments. Loved it so much.

Favorite book boyfriend yet!

I love Rina’s books and I’ve been especially obsessed with the Royal Elite series - listening & reading them all several times. Empire of Lust might be my new favorite though! Kingsley & Aspen are a great match and the narrators were both excellent!

Amazing Narration

Performance: I love Rina stories in writing or narrated, but I particularly loved this narration since Connor Crais is the perfect Kingsley! The strength, the bravado, the intensity, the smugness all shine through in the performance. And Mackenzie brings the right balance of steel and vulnerability to Aspen, their energy radiates.

Story:

At last, we have the epic pairing Rina has alluded to for three books now. The clash of the titans! Two powerhouse, alpha characters that have been going at it for quite a while, two people with a billion secrets between them and missed opportunities and so much baggage. The formidable Kinglsey and the equally formidable Aspen finally have their chance at romance- and just like this couple’s journey thus far, it is every bit as tumultuous, unexpected, twisted, and intense as these two delicious characters.

What I treasured so much about these characters and this story is just how much of a transformation our feelings for both Aspen and Kingsley are. We’ve seen them through others eyes, sometimes favorably, and other times not, we’ve seen them be obstructive or the villains to one another and to others, but we could always see both of them were inherently complex and complicated characters who have made a lot of mistakes and are deeply flawed. Every since we discovered the secret of Gwen’s parentage and the unexpected connection between these two, I’ve been ready to unravel them completely. And boy does Rina unravel them. In the past, and in the present, both of these characters are exposed completely. And by far they are the most fascinating of the series- the psychological impact of their past, the tension between them, the deep scars they both carry, the push and pull between them. It’s captivating. Completely.

Kingsley is every bit as alpha and controlling as we’ve seen him, but like we learned with Gwen, he has a deeply buried softer side that comes out only for those he loves. I loved that we not only get to see his true heart as it relates to Aspen, but also as it relates to Gwen- see the impact of the actions in her book, and see the ways in which he’s coping with the increasing number of things that feel outside of his control. He’s a powder keg- and he’s a character that could be easy to dislike because of how cruel and heartless he can be, but the fire that Aspen draws out of him is certainly an indication of the depth of feeling left unexplored and unanswered- and Rina answers it in this story. He’ll own you, in every way.

Aspen to me is the real revelation of this series. This is a redemption arc like one you’ve never known. Rina has taken a character that I categorically loathed and transformed her into one of my favorite leading ladies. We get the strong willed, ballbusting tough as cookies Aspen we’ve seen, but we also get some incredible vulnerability from her. She’s a survivor in so many ways. My heart broke for her in so many ways. I never knew how much Rina could make me empathize with Aspen, but I felt for her SO deeply. I wanted her triumph and happiness perhaps more than I’ve wanted it for any other Rina heroine. She’s just so broken in many ways, but she’s manifested it in this incredible expression of strength and independence. I loved watching these two battle, each other and their feelings. The tension was SO dense and rich. And the steam was deeeeeeeeeelicious.

But the real triumph of this story, is the other love story. The one that touched my heart in a totally different way- the one between Gwen and Aspen. I’ve been craving answers, and closure, and hoping for some development that helped them both heal. And we got so many beautiful moments with them- painful and heartbreaking and heart healing, too. Moments that respected both of these characters and their journeys. But these moments are what made me fall in love with Aspen the most- the thoughtful and patient and unconditional way she loves the daughter she’s never really known, the daughter that isn’t sure of her- it’s really touching, and I loved that Rina devoted so much of this story to that part of this couple’s evolution- the much needed healing and redemption they both needed with their child.

One of my favorite’s from Rina- and as usual full of twists and surprises and jaw dropping moments. Excited for what is next, but sad to see this standlone series end!

Empire Series!

Empire of Lust (Empire Book #4) is the best one of the series in my opinion. I really enjoyed listening to Aspen LeBlanc and Kingsley Shaw's lovestory. A second chance romance mixed with enemies-to-lovers that creates a good buildup. Riveting secrets, suspense and fiery passion intricately entwined throughout the pages. The ending was fantastic.


Connor Crais, Mackenzie Cartwright dual narration brought the characters and their story to reality. I love both narrators inflections. Easy listening.

Steamy!

After learning about Aspen and her past with Kingsley I was so anxious to read their story. This did not disappoint - lots of steamy scenes and their love/hate relationship is HOT!!

I enjoyed learning her past and her side of the story with her pregnancy and leaving Gwen. I think this can be read completely as a standalone but i would recommend reading book one first.

Perfect! Love the narration and the story!

This was by far, my favorite Rina Kent's book!
It's enemies to lovers in it's best shape, with a real reason for their animosity, lots of emotions involved and a couple that is the epitome of fire meet gasoline!

Since the first book in the empire series, Kingsley and Aspen's story was the one I was most curious about, not just for their hatred toward each other, but for the reasons behind all that hate.

I'll keep this review short, but all my stars goes to this final book! A favorite this year!
Their bickering was delightful, Kingsley protectives was everything I didn't expected him to do... Especially when he was still hating on Aspen!
Aspen was so strong and so fierce in front of everyone, even when she was so broken and lonely inside! I wanted to hug the younger Aspen, and also have a girls night with the adult Aspen! She was incredible and a perfect fit for the ruthless and sexy Kingsley!
I won't even mention all the hate sex, cause if I do that, this review will be a mile long with how hot this couple was!

The book ended and I wanted so much more!
More of their relationship, their happily ever after... Even more so after the epilogue!
I loved everything!

Highly recommend it!

🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧

Narrated by Connor Crais and Mackenzie Cartwright.
The narration was another huge turn on with this book!
Both narrators did an impeccable job, fitting perfectly into Aspen and Kingsley's mood, and i can't wait to listen to more books with both of them!

Steamy, action packed and heartfelt!

**Audiobook Review**

Goodness, Kingsley is a dirty, Daddy delight and I. Am. All. For. It. And he is another level of protective man which I loved. “Empire of Lust” is the fourth book in the Empire series and it was a wild rollercoaster ride of emotions and lust.

After the first three books, we finally get Kingsley and Aspen’s story. The build up has been there ever since we found out that she was Gwen’s mother. The angst and tension between the two was absolutely delicious and you felt it as you listened to their story. I loved how dominant and protective Kingsley was. Once he realized that he wanted Aspen, his sight was set on her. Aspen’s back story broke my heart and all that she went through. But it made her stronger and I loved seeing her bond with Gwen. When Kingsley and Aspen finally get together, turn the A/C on because it is sizzling hot.

This was by far one of my favorite narrations by Connor Crais. He brought everything to Kingsley’s narration and I felt everything as I listened. MacKenzie Cartwright was brilliant as Aspen. You could feel all the emotions and pain Aspen was going through as she learned about things from her past. I love when Connor and MacKenzie narrate together, they complement each other so well.

Love the narrators

The characters, Kingsley and Aspen were performed by Mackenzie Cartwright and Connor Crais. They narrated the parts perfectly. I loved being able to hear the emotions of the characters. It kept me hooked and I couldn’t stop listening. You feel so much more listening to this audiobook. This series is epic.